NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 28 January 2008

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Underway: Week 15 of Increment 16.

FE-2 Tani started out with the daily reading of SLEEP (Sleep-Wake Actigraphy & Light Exposure during Spaceflight) experiment data accumulated during the night on his Actiwatch, for logging and filling in questionnaire entries in the SLEEP session file on the HRF-1 laptop for downlink.

The FE-2 also performed standard switch-over maintenance on the starboard & portside Lab CCAA (Common Cabin Air Assembly) air conditioners, closing the ITCS LTL (Internal Thermal Control System/Low Temperature Loop) flow to the first (LAB1S6) and initiating it on the second (LAB1P6) unit. This is a periodic service task.

After the successful completion of the Stbd SARJ (Solar Alpha Rotary Joint) video inspection via MCC-H control, Dan Tani maneuvered the SSRMS (Space Station Remote Manipulator System) for the subsequent return of the MT (Mobile Transporter).

At ~5:05am EST (until ~7:50am), Russian thrusters were disabled while the MT (Mobile Transporter) traveled on its rail track from WS-2 (Worksite 2) back to WS-4.

CDR Whitson performed the periodic filter cleaning on the MSG AAA (Microgravity Science Glovebox/Avionics Air Assembly) which involved rotating the MSG Facility rack forward/down by ~50 deg, removing a rear panel, inspecting & cleaning the AAA filter and later reversing these steps.

Afterwards, the CDR retrieved InSPACE-2 payload components from temporary stowage, replaced them into their original locations inside the MSG WV (Work Volume) and removed a protective tape from the CA (Coil Assembly) on the InSPACE Avionics Assembly. Peggy also cleaned the lens of the InSPACE-2 camera #2.

TsUP-Moscow performed several ground-commanded tests on RS (Russian Segment) systems:

• PCE (Proximity Communications Equipment, MBRL) transmitter 1,2 (PRD1,2) tests involving ISS attitude change (during PCE testing, Peggy kept the protective Lab science window shutters closed);
• SM ODU (Service Module Integrated Propulsion System) BG2 tank refill from Progress 27P; and
• KLEST-154 TV camera test.

FE-1 Malenchenko meanwhile performed the periodic (generally monthly) service of the ESA/RSC-Energia experiment ALTCRISS (Alteino Long Term monitoring of Cosmic Rays on the ISS), removing the PCMCIA memory card #938 from the AST spectrometer’s slot and replacing it with #942 to continue operations, then testing #938 on the RSK1 laptop for data quantity and total size of files, before stowing it for later return to Earth.

With the Elektron-VM O2 (oxygen) generator currently off, a one-hour cabin air refresh was to be performed by the FE-1 from Progress 27P storage (SrPK) as required.

Dan Tani worked in the U.S. Airlock on gathering and configuring EVA tools for the 1/30 EVA-14. Later, the three crewmembers reviewed the latest EVA timeline and procedures list before tagging up with ground specialists at ~12:35pm to discuss issues and details.

Dan also changed the VDS VTR (Video Distribution System/Video Tape Recorder) tape for continued ground playback of recorded HDTV footage.

After Houston Flight Controllers started deactivating the CDRA (Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly) after yesterday’s SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites) experiments and cooling was no longer required, the CDR disconnected the ITCS LTL QD (Internal Thermal Control System/Low Temperature Loop/Quick Disconnect) jumper to the CDRA rack (LAB1D6).

The FE-2 took air samples for the periodic (currently daily) atmospheric status check for ppO2 (Partial Pressure Oxygen) and ppCO2 (pp Carbon Dioxide), using the hand-held CSA-CP (Compound Specific Analyzer-Combustion Products), CSA-O2 (CSA -Oxygen sensor) and CDMK (CO2 Monitoring Kit). Batteries were to be replaced if necessary. [Purpose of the 15-min activity is to trend with MCA (Major Constituents Analyzer), i.e., to correlate the hand-held readings with MCA measurements.]

Later, Tani disassembled and removed the equipment used earlier for transmission & downlinking of analog (as opposed to digital) video signals from the RS via the MPEG-2 (Moving Pictures Expert Group 2) encoder and Ku-band in “streaming video” packets over the U.S. OpsLAN and Ku-band.

The FE-1 completed today’s routine maintenance of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS) in the SM, including ASU toilet facilities systems/replaceables.

The crewmembers performed their regular 2.5-hr physical workout program (about half of which is used for setup & post-exercise personal hygiene) on the CEVIS cycle ergometer (CDR, FE-2), TVIS treadmill (FE-1), RED (CDR, FE-2) and VELO bike with bungee cord load trainer (FE-1).

Afterwards, Peggy copied the exercise data file to the MEC (Medical Equipment Computer) laptop for downlink, including the daily wristband HRM (Heart Rate Monitor) data of the workouts on RED, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium (done six times a week).

Working off his discretionary “time permitting” task list for today, Malenchenko completed the daily monitoring, picture-taking and downloading on the newly set up BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 ("Plants-2") experiment. [Rasteniya-2, researches growth and development of plants (peas) under spaceflight conditions in the Lada-12 greenhouse from IBMP (Institute of Bio-Medical Problems, Russian: IMBP). During its operation, the experiment requires regular daily maintenance of the experiment involving monitoring of seedling growth, humidity measurements, moistening of the substrate if necessary, and photo/video recording. During the duration of the BI O-5 experiment, students of the Moscow City Palace for Youth Creativity of the Meshchansky inter-regional center #15 in Moscow) and the Prince of Oldenburg Lyceum in St. Petersburg will be cultivating plants in parallel on the ground and conducting comparative observation of plant growth and development under gravity and zero-gravity conditions. They are receiving the photo images taken by Yuri.].

No CEO (Crew Earth Observation) targets uplinked for today.

CEO photography can be viewed and studied at the websites:
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov (about 700,000 NASA digital photographs of Earth are downloaded by the public each month from this “Gateway” site);
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/AstronautPhotography

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 7:56am EST [= epoch]):
Mean altitude — 337.3 km
Apogee height — 341.0 km
Perigee height — 333.7 km
Period — 91.28 min.
Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
Eccentricity — 0.0005434
Solar Beta Angle — 31.2 deg (magnitude decreasing)
Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.77
Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours — 133 m
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 52633

Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Standard, some changes possible.):
01/30/08 — EVA-14 (BMRRM R&R, ~5:30am; ~6 hrs)
01/31/08 — Explorer-1 50 Years (1st U.S. Satellite on Redstone rocket) [see http://usspace50.com & http://www.us50thspace.com ]
02/04/08 — Progress M-62/27P undocking (5:27am) & reentry
02/05/08 — Progress M-63/28P launch (8:03am)
02/07/08 — Progress M-63/28P docking (9:33am)
02/07/08 — STS-122/Atlantis/1E launch — Columbus Module, ICC-Lite. ~2:40pm EST
02/09/08 — Progress M-
02/22/08 — ATV-1 “Jules Verne” launch/Ariane V (Kourou, French Guyana)
03/06/08 — ATV-1 Demo Day 1
03/11/08 — STS-123/Endeavour/1J/A launch/1J/A, w/SLP-SPDM, JEM ELM-PS
03/12/08 — ATV-1 Demo Day 2
03/15/08 — ATV-1 Demo Day 3 & Docking (SM aft port)
04/07/08 — Progress M-63/28P undocking (DC1) & reentry
04/08/08 — Soyuz TMA-12/16S launch
04/10/08 — Soyuz TMA-12/16S docking (DC1)
04/19/08 — Soyuz TMA-11/15S undocking (FGB nadir port)
04/23/08 — Soyuz TMA-12/16S relocation (from DC1 to FGB nadir port)
04/24/08 — STS-124/Discovery/1J launch – JEM PM “Kibo”, racks, RMS
04/26/08 — STS-124/Discovery/1J docking
05/04/08 — STS-124/Discovery/1J undocking
05/14/08 — Progress M-64/29P launch
05/16/08 — Progress M-64/29P docking (DC1)
08/07/08(NET) — ATV-1 undocking (from SM aft port)
08/12/08 — Progress M-65/30P launch
08/14/08 — Progress M-65/30P docking (SM aft port)
09/09/08 — Progress M-64/29P undocking (from DC1)
09/10/08 — Progress M-66/31P launch
09/12/08 — Progress M-66/31P docking (DC1)
09/18/08 — STS-126/Discovery/ULF2 launch – MPLM Leonardo, LMC
09/20/08 — STS-126/Discovery/ULF2 docking
10/01/08 — STS-126/Discovery/ULF2 undocking.
10/01/08 — NASA 50 Years
10/11/08 — Progress M-65/30P undocking (from SM aft port)
10/12/08 — Soyuz TMA-13/17S launch
10/14/08 — Soyuz TMA-13/17S docking (SM aft port)
10/23/08 — Soyuz TMA-12/16S undocking (FGB nadir)
11/03/08 — Soyuz TMA-13/17S relocation (from SM aft to FGB nadir)
11/06/08 — STS-119/Discovery/15A launch – S6 truss segment
11/08/08 — STS-119/Discovery/15A docking
11/17/08 — STS-119/Discovery/15A undocking
11/20/08 — ISS 10 Years
11/26/08 — Progress M-67/32P launch
11/28/08 — Progress M-67/32P docking (SM aft port)
04/15/09 — Constellation’s Ares I-X Launch
05/??/09 — Six-person crew on ISS (following Soyuz 18S-2 docking)
04/??/10 — STS-132/Discovery/20A – Node-3 + Cupola.